The Baltimore Orioles have designated pitcher Ryan Webb for assignment to make room on the roster for catcher Ryan Lavarnway.
Webb appeared in 51 games for the Orioles last year and posted a record of 3-3 with a 3.83 ERA. The 29-year-old right-hander cleared waivers last week after Baltimore tried to trade him and was apparently the odd-man out, as the Orioles will now carry 13 pitchers into Monday's opener against Tampa Bay.
Lavarnway played parts of four seasons in Boston before a whirlwind winter. He was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers in early December, then claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs a few weeks later. The Cubs waived him soon after the Orioles claimed him just before Christmas.
The 27-year-old has appeared in 97 games since 2011. He joins Caleb Joseph and Steve Clevenger as the club's catchers with Matt Wieters starting on the year on the disabled list while still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Another roster move will be made after Monday's game when first baseman Chris Davis becomes eligible after serving the last of his 25-game suspension from last season for PED use.
[SportsNetwork.com]
